Sunday, March 28, 2010

EclecticAffair

WhatLauraSays, BloomCheek,Terp-sikh-ore[6/8/10]

It isn't hard to identify the artists this Phoenix five-pieceenjoys the most. I hear echoes of Harry Nilsson and 10CCon some selections, Air, Grizzly Bear, and Devendra Ban-hart on others. Of course, it could always be coinciden-tal; they may simply share similar musical influences.

I find the combination of styles appealing, the multi-layeredharmonies, the atmospheric organ work, and the T. Rex-likerhythms. On the whole, their second disc is a pretty eclecticaffair—at times, they even sound like an old funk-rock band.Except for a misguided attempt at reggae stylings and a fewawkward lyrical passages, I rate Bloom Cheek a success.

This Cali trio serves up modern rock with a heavy back beat. If anything, the rhythm section, Wyatt Lund (drums) and Jordan Martin (bass), is the best thing about Too Late for Roses.

Kark von Kries has a full-throated style, but he evokes too many other arena-rock guys, from Bono to Scott Stapp (he also handles flute and percussion). If the band is angling for a major label deal, that could be to their advantage, but I prefer more distinction.

Debut, however, offers a few surprises, like the ambient "Winter Tide," which features lapping waves and seagull cries—and clocks in at 19 minutes—and the experimental "Soundtrack from 'Masks'." But I still like the rock stuff best, semi-generic vocals and all.

Endnote: For more information about WhatLaura Says, please click here or here; for TooLate for Roses, here. Image from Planetary Group.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

White Noise: Part Four

I have two bookshelves. Both are so overstuffed, I've taken tostoring books in the kitchen and in the hallway. This shot includ-es reference books (A Biographical Dictionary of Film,Film NoirReader, Placing Movies), books I haven't started (I Put a Spellon You, King Suckerman, Union Dues), and book I haven't fin-ished (The Collected Stories of John Cheever, Sirk on Sirk).

This shot includes books I've read (Cruel Shoes, Gone with theWind, How the Irish Became White, In the Cut, Monty, NeonAngel: The Cherie Currie Story, Mystery Train, Please KillMe,The Ice Storm, and White Noise). Plus, an assort-ment of nail polish and fragrances. I don't keep everybook I read, so these are all titles that made somesort of an impression. Those that don't, go away(I sell or pass them on). The spine is hardto read, but the oldest is by A. A. Mil-ne:The House at Pooh Corner.

5/11: Jennifer Egan - A Visit from the Good Squad7/11: Kate Buford - Burt Lancaster: An American Life10/11: John Fowles - The French Lieutenant's Woman12/11: Samuel R. Delany - Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand

Saturday, March 13, 2010

From "Lower Leg" [see below] the first song off their secondalbum, you might think Britain's Wetdog are trying to pickup where Switzerland's Kleenex/LiLiPUT left off in 1983.

On that track, in which tribal rhythms meet call-and-responsevocals, you can also hear the Slits and the Raincoats (and on theirMySpace Page, I spotted a picture of head Slit Ari Up, indicatingthat they're either fans, former bill-mates, or both). As compel-ling as those reference points may be, you could always listento the original artists to scratch the same post-punk itch.

Fortunately, Wetdog reveals their own unique personalityas this tinny 14-track disc continues to spin—not that "Low-er Leg" isn't a completely persuasive song (it is!). The moreyou listen, the harder their rickety ruckus becomes to de-scribe. On some numbers, they make a noirish noise; onothers, they're all sunshine and sweet harmonies. On"Snapper," they come on like a lounge band in space.

Short on years, long on ideas, the trio appears to be tryingthings out; seeing what sticks and what doesn't, which meansthat "Frauhaus!" isn't as cohesive as the Vivian Girls debut,another reference point, but it's just as appealing for thosewho like their girl group sounds with some extra kick.

All Leather, When I Grow Up, IWanna Fuck Like a Girl, Dim Mak

More irony, more distortion, more annoying tones.-- band press notes

From the title, you'd expect loud and irritating. On their fol-low-up to Hung like a Horse—yes, that was fun to type—All Leatherdelivers volume and attitude, but it's hard totell what they're going on about. Songs include "I Do it withMy Prick Out" and "Babe, Does This Band Make My ButtLook Big," but as in the works of Locust and early Minis-try, the noise rolls right over the vocals. It does little forme, but your mileage may vary. If anything, they'reless irritating than expected...for what that's worth.

The River Raid, In a Forest,Sunset/Above the Sky [4/6/10]

On the successor to their self-titled debut, this three-guitar Bra-zilian quartet offers generic modern rock that's virtually indis-tinguishable from the UK/US variant (especially Oasis). Thatdoesn't make it bad—but I've heard it before. So have you.

Endnote:For more information aboutWetdog, who playSouth by Southwest on 3/18, please clickhereorhere; forAll Leather, here or here(the River Raid also play thisyear's fest).Wetdogimage frombatteryinmycamera.

Friday, March 12, 2010

ProperProcedure

Gil Scott-Heron's I'mNew Herecomes withthe follow-ing advice.I've donemy bestto repro-duce the original formatting, except for the white text-on-black background (it's the first thing you see when you open the CD).

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

There is a proper procedure for taking advantage of any investment. Music, for example. Buying music is an investment. To get the maximum you must

LISTEN TO IT FOR THE FIRST TIME UNDER OPTIMUM CONDITIONS.

Not in your car or on a portable player through a headset.Take it home.Get rid of all distractions (even her or him).Turn off your cell phone.Turn off everything that rings or beeps or rattles or whistles.Make yourself comfortable.Play your CD.LISTEN all the way through.Think about what you got.Think about who would appreciate this investment.Decide if there is someone to share this with.Turn it on again. Enjoy yourself.

The Beaches of Agnès, on the other hand, allows theself-described "pleasantly plump and talkative" 80-year-old artist to turn the camera on herself for a change.

Because she has fond memories of trips to the beach as a child(dubbing it "my favorite landscape"), that's where she speaksabout her life, surrounded by mirrors, photographs, and re-created scenes from her past. Actors, like Jane Birkin and Séraphine's Yolande Moreau, appear in these memories.

Some of these images, Varda says, "have haunted me for a longtime." To this material, filmed in France and California, she addsvisits to significant locations with clips from her filmography,putting her movies into more of a personal context (suffice tosay, there's no separation between the woman and the work).

In chronological order, Varda moves from her childhood inBrussels to her adolescence in Paris to her years as a photo-grapher to her relationship with Jacques Demy (The Um-brellas of Cherbourg, Donkey Skin), who became her hus-band (their children would also join the family business).

In looking back at her career, Varda honors other artists withwhom she's collaborated, like helmer Alain Resnais, actor Phil-ippe Noiret (star of her first film), and avant garde essayist ChrisMarker, who interviews her disguised as his feline alter ego, Guil-laume. For a movie about times gone by, The Beaches of Ag-nès is far more playful than regretful. Highly recommended.

About Me

I write about popular music and film and the relationship between the two. I'm Irish on one side, Italian on the other—British on both. I was born in Connecticut (Far From Heaven), raised in Alaska (Northern Exposure), and I've lived in Seattle, WA (Trouble in Mind) since 1988.